A few weeks back when stuck on the sofa with the flu, I watched a few minutes of The Chew and watched Mario Batali discuss the proper way to make scrambled eggs: stirring in the pan with a big balloon whisk in order to get "a fine crumb". (His idea of 'done' occurs earlier than some of ours would.)

Then while in L.A. last week, my friend Annabelle and I got into a discussion of how to cook scrambled eggs. We were making huevos rancheros for breakfast and one or the other of us needed to do produce the eggs for it. She's Chinese, and she scrambles egg the Chinese way: the egg is mixed with water and thrown into a hot wok and cooked on high heat until cooked. Browned edges are desirable and the size of cooked pieces unimportant. Chewy is good. In turn I described my method: milk or cream instead of water for a creamier, loftier texture and very slow cooking in order to avoid any browning. I don't stir constantly but let it set here and there so that I get a lot of wide flat thin layers. I also told her about Mario's method which elicited an 'ew'.

So there are three ways to skin that cat, and there are probably more. How do you scramble eggs?

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

I do mine pretty much the way you do, J. Use milk or cream, cook slow, stir frequently but not constantly, avoid browning. As for how soft or hard to go, I usually check with whomever I'm serving to get a preference.

butter in pan - eggs broken into butter - salt - yokes broken and eggs mixed as they solidify - done when soft and creamy with obvious differences between white and yolk - often add chives and parsley (or just chervil) at the beginning.

Put 6-8 eggs in a pyrex bowl, add milk, S & P and 1 Tbsp. of butter. Whisk them and cook uncovered in the microwave for 1 minute. They will cook from the outside inwards and the center will be uncooked. Whisk again and microwave for 30 seconds and whisk again, repeating as necessary. When there is only a little liquid left in the center, give them a final whisk and let sit for a minute or so.

Mike Filigenzi wrote: As for how soft or hard to go, I usually check with whomever I'm serving to get a preference.

Bingo ! I have a couple that I cook for on a semi-regular basis. She likes dry cooked solid, he prefers wet soft finished scrambles so the cook has multiple pans operating at the same time to do the 'as ordered' deliveries.Always butter - dry solid without much of anything, soft wet with some dairy, usually cream.

I don't seem to have the time or patience anymore, but I used to use what is basically Jenise's method but in a double boiler. The eggs and the cream had to start at room temperature. They were whisked gently for a long time. Everyone should try this once.

Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:On that note, we drift: How about over easy? Likes you the yolk that runneth?

The method I have used for years is to start the gently cracked eggs in butter, sprits in a tablespoon of water, cover, lower heat and you will have a perfect sunny side up egg in short order. Steam power !!

Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:On that note, we drift: How about over easy? Likes you the yolk that runneth?

Never. After nearly a lifetime of not eating eggs, they are tasting good as long as they're scrambled and well-set. This is nothing less than a miracle, considering the nature and length of my aversion. But I think I'd choose death over eating a runny egg.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Aside from scrambled I've taken to breaking 2 eggs into one of those mini non-stick skillets with a little butter under low heat and let them cook slowly. Part way through when they look ready I simply put a lid on so they cook through. When I time it right they're at that stage between runny and solid.

I remember reading somewhere, maybe here, of cooking a fried egg in butter pretty much at the lowest possible temp that it would cook. For quite some time. I think there's something to it.

Agreed on the use of salt (maybe a scratch of black pepper) and frizzled edges. Sunny side up, or basted, are also good as long as the yellow runs. A soft-boiled egg is a tremendous pleasure but so hard to get right.

Fred Sipe wrote:Aside from scrambled I've taken to breaking 2 eggs into one of those mini non-stick skillets with a little butter under low heat and let them cook slowly. Part way through when they look ready I simply put a lid on so they cook through. When I time it right they're at that stage between runny and solid.

I remember reading somewhere, maybe here, of cooking a fried egg in butter pretty much at the lowest possible temp that it would cook. For quite some time. I think there's something to it.

Bob likes his fried eggs over easy to ensure that the white is cooked through, so I take a similar slow approach and usually add just a little water to the pan so that I can baste the egg--it ends up halfway between fried and poached but with a permeated butter flavor yet using less butter than one would usually use for a pure fried egg.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

We use two tablespoons of butter melted over low heat in an eight Scanpan skillet. Then beat four jumbo eggs in a bowl with a whisk and salt, pepper, and a little granulated onion. I cook the eggs in the butter very slowly and moved regularly with a spatula. Then slide the eggs, just like with that green stuff, onto our plates.

Fred Sipe wrote:Aside from scrambled I've taken to breaking 2 eggs into one of those mini non-stick skillets with a little butter under low heat and let them cook slowly. Part way through when they look ready I simply put a lid on so they cook through. When I time it right they're at that stage between runny and solid.

I remember reading somewhere, maybe here, of cooking a fried egg in butter pretty much at the lowest possible temp that it would cook. For quite some time. I think there's something to it.

Bob likes his fried eggs over easy to ensure that the white is cooked through, so I take a similar slow approach and usually add just a little water to the pan so that I can baste the egg--it ends up halfway between fried and poached but with a permeated butter flavor yet using less butter than one would usually use for a pure fried egg.